For many students, the challenges of a new school marking period can be overwhelming.  And it is often reflected in the first report card.  If you are unhappy with your child’s report card, Larry Sussberg, Executive Director with the Huntington Learning Center of Fayette/Coweta, offers helpful advice and tips.

 "A child’s attitude toward learning begins in the home. Research shows that when families get involved, their children get better grades and test scores, graduate from high school at higher rates, are more likely to go on to higher education, and are better behaved and have more positive attitudes," Sussberg said.

 Sussberg said that if a child’s grades are mediocre or poor, it means they are not gaining valuable skills, which is a bad sign. The skills that children learn in school are like building blocks and if a skill is not learned adequately, future skills will suffer.

 In an effort to help parents keep their children on track with grades and help them bring home exceptional report cards, Sussberg makes the following suggestions:

·   Consider more family involvement in education. Things like checking their children’s homework every night, getting involved in the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, discussing the child’s progress with teachers, or limiting your child’s TV viewing, especially on school nights can make a huge difference in the way your child views the level of importance in schoolwork.

·   Examine the situation realistically.  It is important to remember that every drop in grades indicates that valuable skills are being missed.  An effort should be made to learn and reinforce those missing skills.  While this is being done, it is also important to identify and remedy the basic problem, so it does not continue to hurt your child’s education.

·   Talk with your child’s teacher or counselor.  Your child’s teacher or counselor is a professional educator. What are his or her observations? What does he or she recommend?

"It is important to remember that the difficulty that caused these poor grades may be a serious problem. The child may have missed one or more important basic skills.  Therefore, it is vital that parents get help for their child as soon as possible, before the problem gets worse," Sussberg said.

Parents who want additional information, or who wish to discuss a specific problem, are encouraged to call the local Fayette/CowetaHuntington Learning Center at 770-632-7336.

About Huntington Learning Center

Founded in 1977, Huntington Learning Center is the pioneer in the learning center industry and has provided supplemental learning services longer than any other organization of its kind. Every year, Huntington helps thousands of students improve their grades, raise their test scores and develop effective study skills. By individually diagnosing what is keeping students from doing their best, Huntington offers an instructional program directly tailored to each student’s needs. The company helps to form the foundation for further learning and success in the classroom and beyond. Today there are hundreds of centers around the nation providing quality tutoring and exam preparation services to tens of thousands of students.